Monday, August 30, 2010

Matrix Management

Matrix Management is type of management wherein an individual has two reporting superiors - one functional and one operational. Surprised (and some may find it difficult to have two bosses when even handling one is cumbersome). This is mostly applicable in technical matters where a technical person, for instance an engineer, has to report to his technical head ( say a chief engineer) on technical matters, but also has his obligations towards the administrative or project manager for issues related to operational / non-technical matters. Likewise an accountant may report to the head of the accounting department, but at the same time also communicating with the overall in charge of the company.

So which “boss” is important or takes precedence over the other? Naturally, it is the technical head who has an edge over the operational head as the technical or the functional matters are more important than the operational matters which are more of routine matters. However to ensure smoothness in management matters, normally both heads should be given equal weight otherwise due to the inbuilt “nuisance” one would tend to ignore the operational side on the pretext of importance of functional or technical superiority of one’s task.


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There are pros and cons of matrix management, which is also known as dotted line responsibility. The technical person may get confused as to who is to be given precedence and when as the technical head would be wanting immediate information, while the operational manager may have more pressing requirement of the information. The inherent “technical-loyalty” may thus delay the information to the operational boss.

The Matrix Management thus augers well for tightly knit organizations where each member has confidence as well as the managers. Every one is willing to work towards a common goal rather that only pursing technical or operational goals of one’s own department.


Monday, August 16, 2010

Are you done up by 10?

The right approach to one’s work is always very important. And it is this approach that makes or breaks the office monotony and one’s ability to work or otherwise. It is often seen that no sooner a man enters his office and sees the piles of files on his desk, he almost faints. And one has to start one’s office with this attitude; rest assured his day is done for.

So what is the best approach to better office work? It is very simple. Do not leave a single file undone on your table before leaving for your house after the clock clicks five in the evening. Those who finish their work in time, always start afresh the next day. Now that is a hard thing to do, isn’t it? Well not really. If one is smart, decisive and competent, it is not difficult at all. But for those incompetent and indecisive, it is a tall order.

The files continue to pile up because of our indecisiveness. We cannot take small decisions as each file requires a decision from us. Ignorance of company policies, the management’s mindset, the market trends and challenges and of course own incompetence leads to piling up. Emily Bronte, the famous English writer (author of the famous novel Wuthering Heights) and the poet remarks, “A person who has not done one half his day's work by ten o'clock, runs a chance of leaving the other half undone.” And how so very true. And remember that Miss Emily died at the age of only 30, so you can well imagine her intelligence and mental acumen that made her one of the best of her times. One has other commitments, uncalled visitors, hurriedly called conferences or meetings. All such things happen usually around or just before or after the noon. So if one has cleared of his desk, he is likely to attend to the unforeseen.

And for sure his desk will be half left, if at alone has started well, if one hasn’t finished half of the rubble on the desk by ten. Because after that the unforeseen would start bugging in, diverting attention and finally leaving one so confused and worked up that he has to leave the files on the desk unfinished or maybe half finished to attend to callers, visitors or the boss.

So from now, if you want to be successful, attend to your files right first thing in the morning – and believe me no monster is hidden inside that would scare you away. Finish up by ten or eleven and then get ready for the challenges of the corporate world. If one has no worries of the unfinished work, one would not feel worked up, jittery and preoccupied with what is left or half left when it comes to dealing with others. Be decisive, and take decisions. Remember all decisions cannot be right or perfect. So don’t delay things waiting for the right decisions – and clean up.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Management Information System (MIS)

[Credit: Odishah discom]
The word Management Information System may seem very heavy for some and some may simply shrug their shoulders when asked what MIS is. But inadvertently, many of us utilize the services of MIS almost every day. Ever paid bills on line? Normally many of us schedule their domestic bills online every month or ask the bank to do so automatically without asking us (just notifying through e-mail or SMS that a bill for the month has been paid). The process which has gone into for the payment of bills or any other online transaction is in fact due to a MIS which takes care of all our worries.

Management Information Systems (MIS) is thus a term given to the discipline focused on the integration of computer systems with the aims and objectives on an organization to assist the people working inside the organization and the clients or users of a service outside the organization. It is thus a computer system designed to help managers plan and direct business and organizational operations.


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To make the system work, an MIS basically hinges around a specially developed software that helps in decision making, data resources such as databases, the hardware resources of a system, decision support systems, people management and project management applications, and any computerized processes that enable the department to run efficiently.

Today MIS is used widely on internet for the benefit of people without them having to move out of their house of work station and go to a specific place to undertake a task. The filling of online forms, applying for jobs, booking seats for travel, hotel reservations and much are incidents of MIS. Behind each online facility, sit a number of people/operators specially trained to collect information and make it work as desired by the people. In fact such websites are used by the organizations to automate a process.

Look out for more information on the subject in my future posts.

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